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What happens if I fail?

I'm in my first semester of college and I may be able to fail/have to retake 2/4 of my classes. Would I not be considered a full-time student? I don't know what to do. Do they take away my financial aid after one semester? If they take any of it away, I can't go to school anymore at all, not even a community college.

Replies to: What happens if I fail?

Look at the paperwork you received and signed, it should stipulate what you need to do to maintain scholarships. Federal aid depends on "academic progress" so give your finaid office a call and see what that means to your particular situation. Lastly, take a long look at yourself and figure out why you are failing your classes before you take on any(more) debt for college. Until you solve that situation you've got a bigger problem than how to fund college.

Another problem is if you fail half of your classes your college will allow you to return for second semester. I agree with momofthreeboys: You need to figure out why your grades are so bad. Use your advisor, college study skills/counseling center and other resources because even if your financial aid continues and the college allows you to stay for another semester, you must overcome your problems with grades or you'll be kicked out after next semester and your only option the will be community college.

If you have merit aid from your college, you may have to maintain a certain gpa. Check your financial aid paperwork for details or ask the financial aid office.

At some schools with a limited amount of financial aid funds, students with high gpas are given reference for need-based aid. If your school is like this, you may have problems getting aid for your next school year.

take a long look at yourself and figure out why you are failing your classes before you take on any(more) debt for college

This is VERY good advice. You need to determine why you're doing so poorly in half of your classes...

Did your high school poorly prepare you (are these science or math classes)?

Have you partied too much?

Have you been working too many hours at a part-time job?

You definitely need to go to your school and find out what your situation is. Some will put you on academic probation and give you a chance to improve next semester. You probably will have to retake those failed courses.

it is hard for us to tell what will happen to your aid as we do not know your school's policies. If you are failing 2/4 of your classes then you might have a problem because of SAP. SAP is the satisfactory academic progress policy that each financial aid office must have and that students must meet in order to receive aid. Usually there is a minimum GPA and also a requirement that you must pass a certain % of all classes attempted (that is all classes ever attempted at any college including withdrawals and repeats). At both my kids schools the % is 75%. However most schools will give you a probationary semester before they take FA away. If that is the case at your school you would have to make sure you meet the requirements during the probationary period.

If you do end up on probationary aid (or even if you don't) I would suggest talking with your academic adviser about what classes to take that might help you get back on track both for FA and academically. As previous posters have said it is important that you figure out why you are failing classes.

I know why I am... I have a bad living situation. I live an hour away and commute everyday by public transit. I am sleepless and depressed and have been seeing the school's counseling center. I don't think I have an LD (retook SAT, got 770 530 790) but I am definitely struggling. I struggle with attendance, I struggle with sleep and I struggle with managing mass amounts of stress that sometimes induces panic attacks and makes me stay home and cry instead of going to class. Although I am trying to work it out with the counseling center, I've started to think that college is just a black hole for me right now. I'm not getting anything out of it because I'm struggling to put anything into it. Ah, I dunno.

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